Healthy vegetables like cauliflower can protect against cancer

Make healthy cauliflower versatile
Cauliflower is very popular in German cuisine. This is not only because of its pleasantly mild taste, but also because of its versatility. The roses taste raw or briefly blanched in the salad, but also cooked, steamed, marinated and baked. They are the ideal basis for purees and soups, and as a side dish with butter and breadcrumbs, they go very well with meat and fish. Also an Indian cauliflower curry with potatoes and tomatoes is a culinary poem.

Do not cook the vegetables longer than necessary to preserve the valuable ingredients. These include ballast and minerals, B vitamins, vitamin C and anti-cancer glucosinolates. Cauliflower is low in calories and easily digestible at 23 calories per 100 grams.

Versatile and very healthy: cauliflower. Picture: nolonely-fotolia

Before preparation, remove the outer leaves and stalk. The individual florets can be cut off with a knife and then washed. They are then briefly blanched to taste or cooked for 15 minutes. With a dash of milk the head stays nice white. A light sauce can be conjured up by pouring a roux with the cooking water and seasoning with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Cauliflower belongs to the cruciferous family and, like all other types of cabbage, originates from wild cabbage, which is native to the Mediterranean region. Botanically, the compressed, fleshy flowering branches and the undeveloped flower buds are eaten. The head is white, because under the large bracts can not form chlorophyll due to the lack of light.

Cauliflower is available year round in stores. From May to November, consumers find cauliflower from local cultivation in the vegetable racks. The best choices are solid, bright white heads with a closed structure that gives off a pleasant scent. The outer leaves must be crisp and green. Cauliflower should be used as fresh as possible. If you want to cook your head as a whole, you can put it in salt water for about 10 minutes before preparing. This will lure out any hidden insects. Heike Kreutz, bzfe